Event planning proposal
Event planning proposal for a corporate end of year party
An event planning proposal has to show the client the night, the suppliers and the cost per guest, and set the dates by which they must confirm numbers. This example from a Brisbane planner to an engineering firm prices a riverside party for 120 at $31,160 plus GST, with guest numbers the client can set from 90 to 150 and a weather plan written into the terms.
The proposal, page by page
Every page as the client sees it and as it prints, pricing table included.
The pricing, line by line
- Event planning and management
- 1 × $4,800.00
- Venue hire, Riverside Pavilion
- 1 × $3,500.00
- Catering, per guest
- 120 × $98.00
- Beverage package, per guest
- 120 × $55.00
- Styling and theming
- 1 × $2,600.00
- DJ and MC
- 1 × $1,900.00
- Photo booth (optional)
- 1 × $1,150.00
- Coach transfers (optional)
- 2 × $780.00
- Tax
- $3,116.00
- Total
- $34,276.00
- Deposit due on acceptance
- $8,569.00
Section by section
- Cover
- The event date, 120 guests and the venue.
- About us
- Two sentences on the planner and the two coordinators who run the night.
- Understanding your needs
- A relaxed thank you after a big year, outdoors, with good food and safe travel home.
- Our approach
- Plan, style, run the night, with the hours the coordinators work.
- Deliverables and timeline
- Venue, food, drinks, styling, entertainment and the run sheet, then four dates and a note on getting home safely.
- Investment
- Planning, venue, per guest catering and drinks (90 to 150), styling, DJ and MC, and two optional extras.
- Terms
- Deposit and balance dates, final numbers, the wet weather plan, cancellation, photos and a 14 day validity.
- Next steps and acceptance
- Set the guest count, tick options, accept and sign.
What makes an event proposal easy to approve
Event budgets are approved by someone who will be at the party, often with a finance manager reading over their shoulder. They want to picture the night, know what it costs per head, and know what they are committing to and when. This example puts the picture in the approach and deliverables, the per head cost in two editable lines, and the commitments in the timeline and the first two clauses. It also answers the two questions an outdoor event always raises: what if it rains, and how do people get home. A planner who answers those before being asked looks like someone who has run this night before.
How the per guest pricing works
The fixed lines are planning at $4,800, the venue at $3,500, styling at $2,600 and the DJ and MC at $1,900: $12,800 whatever the guest count. Catering and drinks add $153 per guest, $18,360 for 120. The default subtotal is therefore $31,160, and the total with GST is $34,276. At 90 guests the subtotal falls to $26,570; at 150 it rises to $35,750. The photo booth adds $1,150 and two coaches add $1,560. The 25% deposit is calculated on whatever the client accepts. The balance is invoiced once numbers are final, which is why clause 1 ties its due date to the event rather than to the invoice.
How to adapt this proposal
Put every cost that scales with headcount on a per guest line with a sensible range, and keep everything else fixed. Name the venue and its hours; a client needs to know when guests can arrive and when they must leave. Set your final numbers date by your suppliers' deadlines, not your own. If alcohol is served, say who serves it and under what rules, and check your state's responsible service requirements. Ask for dietary needs with the final numbers, as the timeline does, because allergies are the catering detail that matters most on the night.
What makes this proposal work
The cost per guest is visible
Catering at $98 and drinks at $55 are per guest lines, editable from 90 to 150. Everything else is fixed. An HR manager can see that each extra guest adds $153 before GST and decide on the invitation list with the total in front of them.
Deadlines are in the proposal
The timeline puts the tasting on 12 November and final numbers on 27 November, and clause 2 says numbers cannot fall after that date. The client knows when they are committed, and the planner knows when suppliers can be confirmed.
It plans for what goes wrong
Clause 3 moves dinner into the covered pavilion at no charge with a decision by noon, and the callout covers the bar closing time, responsible service and getting people home. A client booking an outdoor December event looks for exactly these answers.
Questions people ask
What should an event planning proposal include?
The client's goals for the event, the date, venue and hours, what is supplied, a timeline of decisions, the price with per guest costs separated, payment dates, final numbers, weather and cancellation terms, and how to accept. This example covers all of it in five pages after a cover, for a corporate party of 120.
How do you price an event per guest?
Separate the costs that rise with each guest, such as food and drinks, from the fixed costs, such as planning, venue, styling and entertainment. This example charges $98 a guest for catering and $55 for drinks, with $12,800 of fixed costs, so the client can see that each extra guest adds $153 before GST.
When should final guest numbers be confirmed?
Two to three weeks before the event, set by when caterers and venues need them. This example asks for final numbers and dietary needs on 27 November for an event on 11 December, and says numbers can rise after that if suppliers can cater, but cannot fall.
How much deposit do event planners ask for?
Often 25 to 50 percent, because planners must pay venue and supplier deposits themselves. This example asks for 25% on acceptance to secure the venue and suppliers, with the balance invoiced after final numbers and due seven days before the event, so nothing is owed on the night.
What happens if it rains at an outdoor event?
Write the plan into the proposal. Here dinner moves into the venue's covered pavilion at no extra charge, with the decision made by noon on the day. A wet weather plan in the terms means the client is not asked to pay for a second venue or a marquee at the last minute.
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